Toltec, the old Aztec Emperor, is devastated. He has lost his three sons in a horrific battle against their enemies. Without an heir, who will take over when the Emperor dies? Against all odds, the Sun God decrees that Toltec's wife will bear a child who will become the most-revered emperor of the Aztec nation. But instead, the Empress gives birth to twin boys. One of them, according to the Aztec Book of Destinies, will become a courageous warrior; the second, born under an unfavorable sign, is banished and sent to be raised by witches. Yet, as their stories unfold, the reader soon discovers that things are not always as they seem.